Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Stepan Company President and CEO F. Quinn Stepan Jr. announced July 25 the company will complete front-end engineering and design work for a potential $60 million to $70 million chemical production facility in the existing industrial corridor of Ascension Parish.

Chemical company Freedom Industries Inc., which was responsible for the huge chemical spill in the Elk River in West Virginia early this year, has reached a tentative settlement with legal representatives of affected businesses and communities.